1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to security systems and, more particularly, to a security system that is usable to confine movement of a portable article to within a prescribed space.
2. Background Art
The use of “hands on” displays at points of purchase is becoming more and more popular, particularly in the electronics industry. Electronic devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, with a wide range of capabilities and features. Given the considerable potential investment in these devices, consumers have come to expect that they will be given the opportunity to hold and operate the devices as they would in the event of purchase. This is true of, among other types of products, cellular telephones, personal digital assistant devices (PDA's), digital music players, etc.
It is impractical for potential customers to be given devices, one-by-one, and for any handling thereof to be monitored, as by a sales person. First of all, this practice could potentially require an inordinately large number of personnel, depending upon the number of products to be displayed and number of shoppers. Secondly, it is impractical to expect a sales force to keep track of all individual devices that are made available to prospective purchasers. This type of an environment is particularly attractive to thieves, recognizing that tracking of all devices made available to prospective consumers would be difficult, if not impossible. While safeguards have been devised at exits, through electronic sensing and/or strategic placement of security personnel and inspection of departing patrons, to a sophisticated thief, these normal safeguards may represent an insignificant impediment to theft.
Thus, the trend in the electronics industry has been to display most available products for inspection without requiring supervision by store personnel. One such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,488, which is commonly owned by the Assignee herein. The system shown in that patent utilizes a wall, at which portable articles are presented. A series of holding elements are utilized to maintain each article in a secured state. The wall is in turn tethered to a base/support. The length of the tether dictates the permissible range of movement by a prospective purchaser relative to the base/support. A would-be thief might attempt to defeat the system shown in this patent primarily in one of two ways. First, the wall, with the portable article in a secured state thereon, might be separated from the base/support, as by severing the tethering arrangement. Second, the would-be thief might attempt to separate the portable article from the wall and associated holding elements. Ideally, the system is configured so that either of these attempted breaches can be prevented or, if not prevented, detected.